American Horticultural Society Pruning & Training - Hardcover

Brickell, Christopher; Joyce, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1564583317 ISBN 13: 9781564583314

Publisher: DK, 1996

Synopsis

Filled with specially commissioned photographs and detailed "before-and-after" illustrations, this guide offers all the information gardeners need to maintain attractive, well-pruned, and trained trees, shrubs, climbers, roses, and fruit.

About this title

Review

Although primarily a reference text, Pruning & Training is also a stroll through an arboretum, intertwining beautiful and descriptive photographs with explanatory text. If you've ever wondered how a tree, shrub, or vine was trained or formed, this book will explain every how-to for every plant that stirs your experimental side. If you're saddled with an overgrown orchard, poorly maintained landscaping, or heavy frost damage to trees and shrubs, you can renovate them through pruning. Solid background material is provided, including growing habits (and how to take advantage of them), advice on pruning tools, and basic and specialized pruning techniques.

The reference is organized by ornamental trees, fruiting trees, ornamental shrubs, soft fruits, climbing plants, and roses. Each section discusses specialized methods for the subject plant type and includes a plant-by-plant dictionary. With the American Horticultural Society's stamp of approval, you can be sure that Pruning & Training does not neglect pollarding, coppicing, and pleaching. Step by step photographic sequences and before and after shots provide invaluable visual clues. Drawings showing pruning locations frequently feature a silhouette that illustrates the end result of the pruning method. If you'd like to try your hand at espalier or topiary, many training methods are also addressed at length. This is no guide for the casual pruner, but if you want a reference to answer any question you will ever have about the subject, you've found your book. --Molly McElroy

From Booklist

The purpose of pruning and training is to make sure that plants are as healthy and vigorous as possible, free of structural weakness, and at the least risk of being infected by disease. The authors begin by explaining how plants grow and offer general information on the principles of pruning and training and on tools and equipment. They follow this with chapters on ornamental trees, fruit trees, ornamental shrubs, soft fruits (sometimes called berry fruits), climbing plants, and roses. In each category are instructions on basic techniques, initial training, and renovation. Also included is a dictionary of ornamental trees and shrubs. This comprehensive and practical guide lists more than 800 plants and contains more than 1,500 color photographs and illustrations. George Cohen

Edition details

• Publisher: DK
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1564583317
• ISBN 13: 9781564583314
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336